Zero Waste symposium planned

Zero Waste San Diego will host its first annual zero waste symposium Tuesday, at the county operations center in Kearney Mesa.

Zero waste refers to the goal of reusing or recycling all materials, said Rich Flammer, director of Zero Waste San Diego.

“Zero waste is a philosophy and a design principle,” he said. “It’s a whole system approach to what resource management. Historically most of these systems for managing what we throw away were based on waste management. When you change the paradigm to resource management, then you look at the economic value of these materials and items that we throw away.”

The first priority for zero waste is prioritizing what is consumed, he said. That involves both individual choices, such as fine-tuning grocery lists to minimize food waste, and industrial and commercial processes that more efficiently use raw materials.

It can also include adding new materials to recycling programs, reusing and repairing older items, and composting food scraps, he said.

“One of the things we look at is the triple bottom line,” he said. “We believe that the less we waste, the better it is for the environment. The more jobs it creates. And the better it is for communities.”